A Thousand Years
by Tinuviel Undomiel
Summary: Companion to October and April: A patient is aided out of the hospital and meets David Nolan who escorts her to Mr. Gold's shop, unknowingly completing a goal he'd set out to do 28 years ago. Minutes before he plans to bring magic to Storybrooke, Mr. Gold is finally reunited with his lost love, Belle. Inspired by the song A Thousand Years. Rumbelle


Disclaimer: I do not nearly have enough money to buy Once Upon A Time so nothing in this fic is mine. The song and lyrics all belong Christina Perri.

A/N: So many of you requested a companion to October and April. I wasn't sure if I could do it, but inspiration struck when I heard this song. I decided to deliver it just in time as a special present before the premiere. I hope you all enjoy it.

* * *

A Thousand Years

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

She watched him.

He had given her a library, run of the entire castle even, but he was still the most interesting part of her life there. She followed him around the table, while he seemed startled by her interest. He let out an "Oh," when he realized she had no intention of abandoning the room just because he was in it. That fear of him had long ago been forgotten.

She sat down on the table, her legs swinging beneath her blue skirts. "Why did you want me here?"

He brought the chipped cup up to his lips, speaking over the bowl. "The place was filthy."

She tilted her head to the side to show she wasn't fooled. "I think you were lonely," she said, "I mean, any man would be lonely."

A look crossed his face, not cheerful or frightening at all. Sad. He was sad by what she'd just said. He brought the cup down and moved to sit next to her on the table. "I'm not a man."

She didn't know how to respond to that. No, he wasn't a man, at least not like other men. She wasn't entirely sure what he was. He walked like man, talked like a man…sort of. But sometimes he seemed more magic than man. But now…now he definitely looked like an ordinary man. More than that, a man in pain.

Her curiosity couldn't be denied, especially not when he was such a mystery. One she ached to uncover. "So I've had a couple of months to look around, you know," she said, but he didn't look at her, "And, uh, upstairs, there's, uh, clothing," she stammered out. This was hard enough to ask without him looking at her, she couldn't imagine talking to him while meeting his strange eyes. "Small, as if for a-a child?"

Now she looked over at him, but he was staring at the tapestry clad wall before him. She doubted he even saw it. "Was it yours?" she asked, "Or-or was there a son?"

His eyes stopped looking melancholy, now he was mulling over something. She'd seen this look before, when he was trying to decide something that dealt with his magic. She'd rarely been allowed to visit his laboratory, but he'd recently begun to trust her to observe his work. What was he considering now?

She knew when he turned to look at her. "There was," he said, "There was a son." He looked back down at his cooling tea. "I lost him…as I did his mother."

It couldn't have been a good story, not if he was living alone in a castle with only his boy's clothes as company before she'd come along. "I'm…" she choked on her own breath, "I'm sorry."

Those words seemed so poor, but they were the only ones she could give. He'd had a son and a wife once. A family. But no longer. And yet…this meant he wasn't always like this. He'd been as ordinary as her once.

"So you—you _were_ a man once," she said, "An ordinary man." He still wouldn't look at her even as she craned forward to try and see his eyes. "If I'm never going to know another person in my whole life, can't I at least know you?"

Her words roused him. She saw a grin cross his face. "Perhaps," he said, his voice holding some cheer again as he slid off the table and set the cup down on it's surface. "Perhaps you just want to learn the monster's weaknesses."

He wagged one finger at her, making some accusatory "Nuh, nuh," sounds, but they were only in jest. She'd learned when he was serious and when he was only poking fun. Right now he was teasing her because he no longer wanted to talk about his son.

"You're not a monster," she said and she saw surprise flicker in his eyes. "You think you're uglier than you are, that's why you cover all the mirror's up, isn't it?" She gestured to the cloth covered mirror tucked away in the corner of the room.

"Hmm?" she challenged him to refute her with her eyes. He did nothing, but he was toying with his fingers in that nervous habit of his. She must have hit the nail on the head.

"Look, I'll show you," she said and slid of the table.

"Wait!" he called out to her as she crossed the room towards the mirror.

"You're not ugly," she told him as she reached out for the cloth on the mirror, "A bit strange looking, but actually you're not—."

She gasped when he grabbed her arm and pulled her away from a mirror. Her back hit something solid but warm and soft: him. Her back was right up against his chest. His hands circled her waist to keep her there.

"My reflection is not my weakness," his voice rumbled into her ear, "There are other reasons a mirror might be covered. Reasons I would protect you from."

"Protect me?" she repeated.

"I always protect what is mine."

His. Yes, she did belong to him. She'd once feared that truth but now…now her heart suddenly galloped into a new rhythm at that fact. She could feel his breath wafting into her ear, stirring her hair. Could he feel it too?

She was frightened again and she searched desperately for a distraction, something to ground her back into the moment. "What happened?" she asked, "To your family?"

"What happened," he said in stilted way, like he was struggling to recall how to speak, "Is that I'm a difficult man to love."

Love. Could it be? She knew she'd never felt this way before. Never felt the urge to step into another man's embrace. Yet she did with him, this dark and broken creature who used to be a man. Perhaps…perhaps he still was.

The sharp rap of steel on heavy oak shattered heavy air between them. He stepped away from her and looked over to the door that led out of the room. "This won't take long, dearie," he said before he strode out of the room.

She stood before the covered mirror and knew exactly what it would reflect: cheeks red with emotion, arms hugging her trembling form. She could still feel his hands on her, that buzz of feeling that had charged through her just like when she'd tumbled into his arms. She stood there until she heard the door creak open again.

She turned around and smiled as he stepped into the room with both of his hands behind his back. He had a secretive look on his face that she'd never seen before. It was more than just teasing, it was playful. He was enjoying this new turn to their relationship.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Just an old woman selling flowers." He suddenly drew one arm out and showed that he'd been hiding a beautiful red rose. She gasped at the present and smiled. "Here," he said, holding the flower out to her. "If you'll have it."

She took the rose with a bright smile and a leaping heart. Two could be playful. "Why thank you," she said and swept into her finest curtsy. He gave her a deep bow, like she was a princess and he was her princely suitor, wooing her with gifts for her hand.

It was actually a very pretty dream.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

Yes, it was a pretty dream, one the patient in room eleven had no desire to wake from. Something forced her from her dream world, the one where she wasn't herself and living a rather astounding life. She sat up and looked around, but nothing aroused her interest. Maybe it was the door at the end of the hall opening again. That had happened when they brought in the new guy, Glass. That was all she knew about him. They weren't allowed to interact.

'The patient' was the only thing they called her besides 'she'. It was the only thing she could call herself. No name, no family, no memories. She knew she was in a cell. She knew she slept on a slab and she knew that it was cold in there, but she knew nothing else. Not even where she was. She never thought to let it bother her. She'd been here for as long as she could remember. She'd long ago stopped dreaming of freedom. Instead, she ventured into that other world where she was someone else and there had been someone who'd loved her. Even if he had turned her away.

She lay back down on the slab, pillowing her head with her arm. Her shoes squeaked on the hard surface. It was so cold now that she wore them to keep her feet warm. For some reason she'd never been given a blanket to protect her from the chill. It wasn't surprising. Nobody cared about her here.

_"I always protect what is mine."_

Yes, he had given her a blanket in that very different cell. In her dreams, that odd man had cared for her. He'd provided her food, comforts, and for a few brief moments, love. It was a far sweeter life in her dreams.

Something scraped outside her door, but she ignored it. It was probably that dark haired woman again, the one that looked like the lady in black from her dreams. She didn't like the way she'd looked at her. It was best to let her look her fill and then leave her alone, like she always did.

But the slot in the door didn't creak open. This time, the door did.

Curiosity emboldened her to sit up and see who had entered her room. It was man dressed in the white uniform of a nurse, but he wasn't one. She'd seen all of her wardens he definitely was not one of them.

He held out his hand to her. "Come with me," he said.

She accepted his hand as he helped her to her feet off of her slab of a bed. "Who are you?" she asked, "Why are you doing this?"

The man put his hands on his shoulders, one of them still holding a ratty jacket that had seen one too many washings. "My name is Jefferson," he told her gently, "And I need your help to do something that I can't."

What could she do? She knew nothing about herself. How could she possibly help anyone when she'd been locked up for possibly her entire life?

"There's a man. His name is Mr. Gold. Find him. All you have to do is tell him where you've been and that Regina locked you up."

"What?" she asked. Regina? Mr. Gold? What did this man know? Who were these people?

Jefferson didn't answer her question. "It's very important," he continued, "Mr. Gold is going to protect you, but you have to tell him Regina locked you up." He nodded his head and his lips curled up in a smile. "He's going to know what to do."

He stared into her eyes. "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said a bobbed her head, "I have to find Mr. Gold."

"That's right," he said, "Now come on. We don't have much time."

He took her hand and pulled her out of her cell. Jefferson hurried them both down the hallway, up a set of stairs and past the unconscious Nurse Matilda who she had always hated. He opened the door at the top, but only poked his head through. She watched him look around and then tug her along with him again.

"This way," he urged her on, down a hallway bustling with people. It seemed like everyone was focused on another hospital room, but she couldn't see what was going on. Jefferson brought her to another door, one that led to a place she'd never seen: outside.

She gasped at the burst of cold air, but it was far more welcome than the frigidness of her cell. Crickets chirped from their hiding places in the grass. The moon shone brightly from the black sky, but on the other side of the horizon the sun was painting it pink and red. It was more beautiful than she'd ever imagined.

"Where are we?" she asked Jefferson.

"Storybrooke, Maine," he told her, "You've been locked up in the hospital for twenty-eight years."

"Twenty-eight years?" She shook her head at him. "I don't understand."

"No," he said in a heavy voice, "You wouldn't. You see, you're lucky. You're a blank slate, untouched by the false memories she gave us."

He wasn't looking at her anymore, but gazing into the sky like it held some sort of promise. "She never thought you'd be free. So she never touched your mind with her lies."

She gazed at him, uncertain if she should be frightened. There was something decidedly off about him. "What are you talking about?"

Jefferson locked eyes with her again. "Gold will tell you everything." He handed her the jacket, even helped her slip her arms into it. "Just make sure to tell him that Regina did this to you."

"I will," she promised though she wasn't entirely sure what she was promising.

"Good," he said with a nod, "You don't have much time. Go this way and you'll find the town square," he pointed to the left of the building, "Take two rights, find Orchard Street and follow it. His shop isn't far."

"Got it," she said.

"Good, now go."

He shoved her forward but just to prod her on. For some reason she felt the need to run, not from him just from the place she'd hated for so long. She was ready to find someone who cared about her.

_One step closer_

She ran without caring where she went. She just wanted to get away, to forget about that icy cold room, the loneliness and the empty, aching feeling in her heart that told her she was missing something. No, missing _someone_.

Her shoes left the grass and hit something harder, like stone but smoother. She kept running even as she stepped off some sort of curved step and found a long stretch of grey rock with yellow lines painted down it's center. Something was coming towards her, but she had no idea what it was.

It moved on four wheels and had bright yellow lights attached to it. It was coming at her fast, so fast that her only reaction was to scrunch down into a ball and wait for the inevitable end.

SCREECH!

That horrid sound filled the air. She uncovered her eyes and plugged up her ears. Apparently it suited her to die deaf instead of blind.

But death never came. After a few moments where she could only hear her heart beating, she dared to open her eyes and saw that whatever had been coming towards her had stopped mere inches away from her body. She could even feel the heat coming off of it. Was it some sort of animal?

It apparently had a door, because one opened, so it wasn't an animal. Someone stepped out. A man with short, sandy hair and kind blue eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked her, kneeling down next to her.

"Yes…I think so," she said.

"What are you doing in the middle of the street?"

Is that what this stretch of rock was called? She thought to ask him, but something told her she should keep her lack of knowledge to herself. Still, there was almost something familiar about this man, she just couldn't place what it was.

"I was…I was looking for someone," she said.

"Who?"

"Mr. Gold," she told him, "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah, but maybe we should take you to the hospital first."

"No!" she shouted, shaking her head furiously, "No," she said again, "I'm fine, really, I don't want to go to the hospital."

"Okay, okay," he told her gently, "No hospital." He blinked at her a bit. "Why are you looking for Mr. Gold?"

"I, uh…I uh, need his help," she said. It was the truth. Jefferson had said he would protect her, though she didn't know exactly from who.

The man looked at her for a long moment and then sighed. "Are you sure you're all right? Most people don't go to see Mr. Gold unless they're desperate."

She felt her mind stir at that final word. _Desperate_.

'_We're desperate, papa, we have no other choice. We must seek his aid_._'_

"Hey? You okay? Can you hear me?"

She blinked a few times and then shook her head. "What?"

The man was staring at her again with even more concern. "You seem a bit disoriented."

"I'm sorry, I just lost my train of thought, that's all."

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital?"

She shook her head again. "Please, I just need to find Mr. Gold."

The man nodded once. "Okay, I'll take you to him."

She watched as he took something out of the odd contraption he'd ridden in and then it stopped making noises. Keys, she noticed as he stuffed them into the pocket of his jacket. "It's not far," he said.

"Thank you."

"David," he told her with a smile, "My name is David Nolan."

"Oh," she said, pulling her own jacket tighter around her. It was still chilly in the morning air and while the jacket provided her some added warmth, her gown, leggings and sockless shoes didn't do much for that effort.

"Are you new to town?"

She didn't really know. According to Jefferson she'd been in Storybrooke for twenty-eight years, but that didn't seem plausible. "Yes," she said. Since she wasn't entirely sure where she was, she might has well have been new.

"I'm sorry I can't show you around," David said, "But you caught me in the middle of packing my truck. I'm headed for Boston."

"Oh," she said, uncertain of what a truck or Boston was. Perhaps the truck was that animal like thing he'd been in before?

"So how do you know Mr. Gold?" he inquired gently, "Are you an old friend of his?"

"I—uh—I know someone who knows him." It was the best she could come up with. David nodded in acceptance of that minor truth. "What do you know about him?"

He shrugged. "I don't know him all that well, but he doesn't have a good reputation around here. Everyone seems to owe him something."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he'll give people money or help, but it always comes with a price."

She stopped, feeling another strange ripple in her mind.

_'I can help your little town…for a price.'_

_ 'I want something a bit more special. My price…is her.'_

"Price," she whispered, trying to remember why the one word seemed so familiar.

"What?"

"I was just thinking, I have nothing to offer him," she said. Besides the clothes on her back, she could give nothing to Mr. Gold if he should demand something for his protection, not even a name.

"You don't have to worry about that," David told her with a smile, "I know people in this town who will be willing to help you." He stopped and put a hand on her shoulder. "If you want, I can take you to them now."

She thought about what he said. David certainly seemed trustworthy and she had no idea about this Mr. Gold. Could she really trust the word of man who had broken her out of her prison without any reason at all? But those dreams kept coming back to her. The way she—the one that was and yet wasn't her—had managed to trust such an untrustworthy soul might mean something. Maybe she had to take a leap of faith.

"No, I'll talk to Mr. Gold first," she said.

"Okay," David said with a nod. He pointed towards a sign that was still lit in the early morning light. "That's Mr. Gold's shop, but it looks like he's closed."

Yes, she could read the "Closed" sign on the door but she could also see that lights were on inside the shop. Obviously Mr. Gold was inside.

"I'll still try," she said. She remembered her manners enough to smile at David and said, "Thank you, David, for helping me."

"You're welcome…I'm sorry, I never did get your name."

Name? She didn't have one to give, at least not one she could remember. She racked her mind for something, some glimmer of something familiar but found nothing. But that dream she'd had before Jefferson arrived was still fresh.

"Rose," she said, "You can call me Rose."

She thought David would simply nod, smile and then say goodbye. Instead, he frowned and blinked at her oddly. "Rose."

"Y-yes," she hesitated briefly in saying. Had she chosen wrong? Did he not believe her?

"Sorry, that just sounds familiar. We haven't met before, have we?" She blinked at him, trying to search her own thin memories for something that told her that she knew him. She couldn't place it but there was something about him…not so much his face. Perhaps his voice.

But David shook his head. "No, you said you were new to town. Maybe I just knew someone else named Rose once."

"Right," she said. That made much more sense.

"Well, it was good meeting you, Rose. I hope everything works out for you."

"Thank you," she said, "I wish the same for you."

She watched him walk away for a moment. Before he'd turned around he'd looked…sad. She would have liked to know what was wrong with him, but there would have been little she could do anyways. He was going to Boston and she…well she didn't know what she was going to do. Meet Mr. Gold was her only option.

She walked over to the shop and stared through the window. At first she couldn't see anyone, but then a man stepped in from the back. He had something in his hand, something shiny and golden in color. She could see light reflecting on it's surface. Something old probably, but she didn't know what it could be.

Mr. Gold was dressed all in black. His clothes were pristine, perfectly made and obviously expensive, very different from David's jeans and worn jacket. His brown hair was long with streaks of grey at the temples. He was middle aged, but the years had been rather kind to him. There was a distinguished sort of handsomeness to him, something she hadn't been expecting. As far as monsters went, he wasn't scary in the least.

Time to finish what she'd started.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave_

_I will not let anything take away_

_What's standing in front of me_

_Every breath_

_Every hour has come to this_

In the sanctuary of his shop, Mr. Gold set down the golden egg. Despite having spent nearly thirty years inside the fiery belly of a dragon, it was completely unscathed. The magic that had crafted it had held.

He wasted no time in pulling open the drawer and finding the key. It fit perfectly in the lock. With a little wiggling, the egg opened. Nestled inside was the little glass vial filled with the purple swirls that was both liquid and mist and neither at the same time.

True Love.

Pure Magic.

He pulled the vial out of it's nest and held it up before his face. The next phase of his plan was waiting for him, only a short trip away, but he needed just a moment. In his hand was True Love.

He'd marveled at it before when he was in his mother realm and living under his real name. It was the most powerful magic in the world, powerful enough to break any curse. He knew that truth better than anyone.

True Love was in that bottle. That same magic that had touched his blackened soul and tried to free him from the curse of the Dark One. Of course what lay in the bottle wasn't the exact same magic that had nearly freed him. What he'd told Snow White many years ago was true: no two loves are exactly alike. This magic was born of Snow White and her Prince Charming's love, not his.

He wondered what that magic would have looked like. True Love was the purest form of magic, completely untouched by darkness. Some flicker of his soul was still safe from his curse and his own wickedness in order to make that possible. It was easy for that magic to find purity in Belle though, his one, true love.

Blue, he decided. The magic would have been blue, the same color of her eyes. Most of it's power would have come from her beautiful soul. It would have mirrored her perfect eyes.

The bell at the front door of his shop rang, signaling that someone was here. Gold quickly stuffed the vial into the pocket of his jacket. He then grabbed the egg, shut it closed and turned around to hide it in an empty box. It was likely either Regina or Emma come to claim what had always been rightfully his. They were wasting their time since Henry was quickly running out of it. Emma had better figure out the clue he'd given her before or else the Curse would continue to linger and Henry would die.

"Excuse me," someone asked in a voice that touched his mind as familiar somehow, like from a dream, "Are you Mr. Gold?"

So it wasn't the Queen or the Savior, but just some nuisance from the town. He couldn't identify who it was by voice alone, but he was too annoyed by their disturbance to note the strangeness of that fact. He rolled his eyes and said through gritted teeth, "Yes I am, but I'm afraid the shop is…"

He turned around and then trailed off on the final word when he saw who stood before him. "…closed…"

His heart stopped. So did time.

A ghost, a fantasy, some mirage of his own broken heart was standing before him now. _Belle,_ his mind said, but that was impossible. She was dead. She'd died because she loved him. She died because he hadn't believed her love. She couldn't be there now.

And yet she was. Still beautiful even with her brown curls tangled and in need of a wash. Her clothes were tattered as well, with some battered jacket covering what appeared to be a worn hospital gown.

Despite the fact that he was completely frozen, she stepped towards him. "I was, uh…I was told to-to find you," she said.

He started moving without even realizing what he was doing. It was a slow effort to grope for his cane. He wasn't sure what he intended to do. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing.

"And to tell you that Regina locked me up," she continued as he finally found his cane and turned it around so he could use it support his weight.

She looked puzzled as she asked, "Does that—does that mean anything to you?"

Suddenly he was right in front of her, his whole body shaking with emotions: joy, fear, pain, anger. Could it be true? She looked like Belle. Sounded like Belle. Her eyes glittered that same blue, the color of a clear Spring sky. He could see she breathed, that her heart beat. Was this all a terrible trick of his mind or was she…?

His hand reached out at the command of his heart. It touched her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Beneath the hideous jacket was an arm made of flesh and blood. Living flesh.

"You're real," he gasped out at the unbelievable truth that was still the truth, "You're alive."

Belle was alive. She hadn't thrown herself off of the tower. She had never endured the suffering given to her by wicked clerics and the rejection of an unforgiving father. She had been alive when the Curse had been enacted. She was alive!

And then her words hit him.

_Regina._

_'He locked her in a tower.'_ A lie.

_'Threw herself off the tower.'_ Lie.

_'She died.'_ Lie

All of it lies. Belle had never died. Likely, she'd never made it home either. Regina had found her, captured her and hid her away and then told him that he'd been blindly responsible for her death.

"_She_ did this to you?" he hissed, looking her up and down. No scars as he could see, but who knew what Regina had done to her. What had Belle endured being the prisoner of the Evil Queen? He would rip Regina apart for this, slowly. One small piece at a time.

Belle blinked at him in curiosity. She shifted her feet a little, looking up at him with those innocent blue eyes. "I was told you'd protect me."

Protect her. Like he should have done many years ago. He could have destroyed that castle with his bare hands and freed her from her captivity. He should have begged for her forgiveness and given her all the love she'd asked for and more.

He would do it now.

Tears brimmed in his eyes as he quickly gathered her into his arms, "Oh yes," his voice cracked over that word, "Yes, I'll protect you."

Belle was stiff in his embrace for a moment, and then she was gently pushing him away. Confusion creased her brow as she said, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The Curse. How could he have forgotten that? It was designed to deny everyone their happiness…including his. She couldn't remember him, remember what they'd nearly had. He felt his freshly healed heart crack a little.

"No," he said as he tried to blink the tears away. She didn't know him. Not yet, not until the Curse was broken. "But you will," he promised her.

He would make her remember, even if she could never forgive him for casting her out. He owed her that much.

_And all along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

She was a bit grateful that he removed his hand from her shoulder and then stepped away, but there was something else there too…regret. Her heart had actually leapt when he embraced her, even though her mind had been puzzled and uncertain by it all. It was all very strange.

David had led her to expect a greedy, power hungry man who would turn her out because she had nothing to offer him. Instead, she'd found a lonely man in pain. She didn't miss the tears in his eyes, despite the fact that he quickly wiped them away. Mr. Gold knew her. More than that, he cared about her.

"I apologize, dear, I…you were unexpected," he said. She thought he was trying to regain his composure, but wasn't quite succeeding. One corner of his mouth turned up, a motion that also tugged at her vacant memory. "You arrived just in time. I was on my way out."

She watched as he limped his way over to the counter and removed a set of keys from a cupboard. "Come with me," he told her. She blinked at him in surprise. That was the second time today someone had said that to her and she still wasn't sure what was going on.

He took her hesitation as fear. "Please," he told her gently, "I know I startled you before but please…come with me. I'll protect you, I promise." He took one step towards her. "You can trust me."

Yes, she could. Oddly enough, she'd trusted him the moment she'd first laid eyes on him. She nodded her head. "All right."

He looked relieved at her words, his mouth curving up again. "Good, now let's be off."

She felt him gently press his free hand to the small of her back as he guided her to the back of his shop. This was another gesture that had a wink of recognition to it. She thought to ask him, but he was busy opening the shop door and ushering her outside. There was another contraption, similar to David's animal-truck thing that had nearly run her down. But this one was smaller and black.

She grabbed his arm and pointed to the thing. "What is that?"

Mr. Gold stared at her for a bit. "You don't know?" She shook her head in reply. "It's a car, you ride in it." She noticed he frowned, not at her exactly more at what she was saying. "You have no idea where you are, do you?"

"Somebody told me I was in Strorybrooke, Maine," she told him, "But, no, I don't really know where I am…or who I am."

"You don't know your name?"

She shook her head again. "Do you?" Now he was the one startled. "You know who I am."

"Yes," he admitted.

"Who am I?"

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words were never born. He reached out and touched one strand of her hair, letting it coil around his finger. She stared at his eyes as they looked at that curl he'd captured. He wasn't with her anymore, but somewhere else. It must have involved her once.

"You'll know soon," he told her instead, "I promise."

She watched as he used the keys to unlock one door to the car. He held it open for her and gestured for her to get inside. "It's safe," he assured her.

She did as she was told, but couldn't help jumping bit when the door closed on her. She'd been confined for so long she wasn't very comfortable being in a small, enclosed space like this. It was a relief when he appeared on the other side of the car and took the seat next to her. He used the key again to turn something and then the car growled into life.

She had many questions about the car and who she was and how she could trust Gold without even knowing him, but she didn't want to seem foolish. She felt ridiculous as it was, being so confused by everything around her. Maybe she really did belong in that hospital.

"Tell me, dear," Gold said gently, "where were you before you found me?"

"A hospital," she said, "I was in a cell underground, I think it was underground at least. It was always cold there. I never saw anyone though, except for a woman with dark hair." She shivered at the memory of that woman's cold eyes. "She rarely spoke to me though."

"Regina," he growled out the name.

"I suppose," she said, "that man said she'd locked me up."

"What man?"

"The one who freed me. He said his name was Jefferson." She looked over at Gold. "Is he a friend of yours?"

He grinned at that notion and shook his head. "But we share a common enemy."

It took a moment but what he meant finally clicked in her mind. "Regina."

"Yes, you always were clever."

Clever. She liked that compliment. She'd never really thought much of herself, perhaps that was why she'd created another her in her dreams. A brave, smart woman who had tamed a beast.

"You said I was alive before," she said, "Did you think otherwise."

Gold sucked in a breath and let it out through his teeth. "I was told you had died."

"Who told you that?" Silence gave her the answer. "Regina."

"I won't let her take you again," he promised her, "And she will pay for what she did to you."

She couldn't find any comfort in those words. She wasn't entirely sure why Regina had done what she did or why Gold was so furious, but she knew it would be bad for him if he acted on his wrath.

They rode along in silence. She enjoyed looking out the window and seeing everything around her, mostly trees. The forest was soothing. It wasn't like the hospital, the street or the car, it was familiar. She felt a bit at home in it.

She did notice that Gold kept sneaking glances at her. He had thought she was dead until she'd walked into his shop. Perhaps he still couldn't believe it. But why had he been told of her false demise? Why had this Regina hidden her away? It didn't make any sense to her. She was just one woman with no identity. She had no power, meant nothing to anybody. Except him, it seemed.

Finally, Gold pulled the car over and turned the keys again. The car went eerily silent. She watched as he tugged on a silver lever that opened his door. She noticed one on her side and tried the same motion. It swung open at her gentle push. There was a sense of accomplishment to the task once she climbed to her feet. She didn't understand the contraption, but she'd managed to deduce how a small piece of it worked. Gold was grinning at her over the roof of the car so she gave him her own timid smile.

"Come," he said, beckoning her with his hand, "It's not far."

"What's not far?"

He was grinning again, but it wasn't about her small victory. This was the smile of a schemer on the way to triumph. "The next part of my plan."

She puzzled over that as she followed him. Despite his limp and cane, his eagerness was making him lithe and willing to overcome any root or rock that stood in his way. He'd moved his arm as if he'd wanted to take her hand to keep her by his side, but then stuffed his hand into his pocket instead. She almost grabbed his hand anyways, just because he had clearly wanted to touch her. But she couldn't make herself feel comfortable for his touch, not when he was still very much a stranger to her. Maybe when he told her who she was and their history she would be willing. For now, wanting to understand and wanting to feel what he did was enough.

They had been walking for several minutes when something prickled at the back of her neck. She turned and saw nothing there, but her body was sensing something. That was when it her.

A wave of energy. No, magic. It came and struck her with enough force that she actually rocked back on her heels as if actually pushed by a strong blow. She didn't have time to wonder over it. Suddenly her mind was swamped with a thousand images and feelings.

Memories.

_Sitting on her papa's knee as he went over the town's accounts and defenses, feeling so grown up because she was surrounded by them._

_ Opening a book and getting immersed in the written word for the first time. Imagining the places described in it and longing to go on adventures herself._

_ Her nurse whispering stories of the legendary Dark One, telling her to behave or she would fetch him on her. Silently, she wondered what he was like and wanted to meet him for herself._

_ Curtseying before her betrothed, Gaston, but cringing at his lips on her hand and waiting, hoping for some feeling that could blossom into love._

_ Her heart pounding as she stood before the Dark One. She was afraid, but hoped it hadn't shown as she promised to go with him forever._

_ Dropping the cup and waiting for his wrath to be unleashed. Then when it didn't, letting her nerves calm just bit and wondering over why he had asked for her to begin with._

_ Falling. Falling and knowing she was about to be truly hurt. And then she wasn't. She was in his arms, staring into his eyes and felt something strange. Something she'd never felt before._

_ Forgetting how to breathe as she inched her way closer to his mouth. She hoped it would break the curse, but the moment before their lips touched, she just wanted to know if she was in love. She thought she would cry from the beauty of the moment._

_ Sobbing as she abandoned the castle because she had no choice. She loved him. She had no idea being in love could hurt so much. Now she knew what a broken heart was._

_ Running, fleeing the grasps of the black knights. She hid under a fallen log and held her breath, hearing nothing but silence. Someone grabbed her leg and pulled her free, scraping her raw, but she didn't care. She knew she was caught._

_ Waiting. Waiting for him to find her. To free her from the Queen's clutches. The black clouds rolled in but she wouldn't be afraid. Instead she shut her eyes and remembered when his curse had been breaking, seeing his true face and marveling at his beautiful brown eyes._

She gasped when the wave ended, hardly able to breath. She knew. She knew everything. She knew who she was, what had happened and why.

Belle.

Her name was Belle.

Those dreams that weren't dreams but memories. She'd never truly forgotten who she was, just unable to see the truth. And now, as she looked ahead a the man who was walking in front of her, she knew. She remembered those beautiful brown eyes.

"Wait," she called out.

But he didn't stop, instead he kept walking. "No, no," he told her gently, "We're very close."

Belle knew that voice, having heard it only for a few moments before his curse claimed him once again. It was him! She'd finally found him!

"Rumplestiltskin, wait," she said. Her voice broke over his name. She had never spoken of it during her imprisonment in order to protect him. It was a name she'd kept hidden in her heart along with her love.

At the sound of his name, he stopped and slowly turned around. She hurried towards him, his eyes watched every step she took. "I—I remember," she said once she'd reached him. His lips began to curl into that crooked smile. Tears threatened her vision as she nearly sobbed out, "I—I love you."

Rumplestiltskin didn't shove her away at her second proclamation of her love for this wonderful, broken man. This time, he used his good arm to pull her into his chest, whispering in her hair, "Yes."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. "Yes," he said again, louder this time. And then the words she'd longed for three decades were finally spoken. "And I love you too."

He just held her for moment so she tried to savor the softness of his hair, the smell of his skin, everything she'd dreamed of ever since the Queen had thrown her in a dungeon and laughed as the lock clicked closed. Sadly, the moment ended too soon.

"But hey," he said as he cupped one side of her face with his large, spinner's hand. He only pulled away a few inches and never dropped his hand. "There'll be time for that," he promised her, "There'll be time for everything. But first, there's something I must do."

Belle wanted to protest, wanted to get to _everything_ now. She'd waited for so long, fought fear and doubt that she would never see him again and endured the cruelties of a truly evil woman. But he was already walking away so she had no choice but to hurry after him.

This time it was she who reached for his hand. He eagerly took it.

_One step closer_

_One step closer_

Now that the entire town had woken from the Curse, they were remembering their old lives, their old pains and their new ones. The Queen was apprehended, but James doubted she would stay there. Magic had rolled back into their lives and he knew exactly who to blame for that.

Snow had insisted that she come with him. They had been separated for far too long and he was unable to disagree with her need to be with him. Emma, their daughter, was still reeling from the news and had elected to stay behind with Henry. He knew it wouldn't be easy for her, for all of them. This wasn't the family reunion any of them had planned.

But he couldn't focus on that. He needed answers, answers that only one man could provide.

The sign on the shop said closed, but that wasn't going to stop him. He pounded on the door. "Open up! We need to talk!"

No one came to the door.

"Should we try again later?" Snow inquired.

"No," James said, "He's here, he just is being difficult."

"That's nothing new," she said.

"No," he agreed, "But unlike his castle, this door isn't enspelled."

To prove his point, he took a step back and then slammed the sole of his boot just under the door knob. There was the crunch of wood splintering as the frame cracked a bit. The door swung open and hit the wall with a loud thud. Some of the antiques and artifacts rattled in protest.

They only just stepped inside the shop when Gold appeared, with a gun cocked and ready in his hand. He smiled when he saw them. "Ah, reunited at last I see."

"What's going on? What have you done?"

"Just brought back a piece of our home world," he said, and slid the gun back into his pocket, "Now, I was in the middle of something very important when you broke into my shop. You can see yourselves out."

James shook his head at him, glaring daggers with his blue eyes. "What are you hiding now, Rumplestiltskin?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

There was a scuffling sound and then a gentle voice said from the doorway to the back of the shop. "What's going on?"

James and Snow watched as Rumplestiltskin's face changed from cold steel to a glowing warmth. He turned towards the voice and spoke sweetly, "Nothing to fear, my dear. Just some impatient royals. You may come out if you wish."

"My dear?" Snow repeated. James was certain that he wore the same confused expression on his face. They both watched as a woman stepped out from the back of the shop, wearing a threadbare jacket and a crumpled hospital gown.

It took a moment for James to take in the sight of her curly brown hair and pale blue eyes. Once he did his memory raced with an identity, both sets of memories.

"Rose," he said with genuine relief.

She blinked a few times and then smiled. "Charming." She walked past Rumplestiltskin, around the counter and stood just in front of James. "I was afraid she'd catch you."

"I was afraid she'd kill you," James said.

Rose shook her head. "No, she needed me, even if it was just to keep me locked away."

James nodded. "I was going to go back for you."

"I'm glad you didn't. You would have been killed for sure." She smiled and then held out her hand. "I'm Belle, by the way."

"James," he said and took her hand to shake it.

"I believe I'm not the only one in the room who is curious as to how you two know each other," Rumplestiltskin said. His cane tapped along with his steps as he walked over to stand just behind Belle.

She turned a little to meet his eye. "James and I shared a prison briefly before he managed to escape."

"Ah," he said, "I suppose you could have been locked up with worse."

James frowned at him briefly, but then met Belle's eyes. "Belle, whatever you've come for him for, don't do it. Snow and I will help you, I promise. We'll find your true love."

Belle smiled at him, a chuckled escaping from her lips and she shook her head. "You already have."

"What?"

"You walked me to his shop."

James didn't quite understand it, couldn't believe what he was hearing, until Rumplestiltskin wrapped one arm around her shoulders and tucked her close to his side. She willingly accepted his embrace.

"Him?" he whispered. Belle nodded. When he glanced back at Rumplestiltskin he saw something he'd only seen once: pure love.

"You said she died," James said.

"Yes, well I was deliberately misinformed. No doubt, you can deduce the culprit."

"Regina," Snow said the name icily.

"Indeed."

Belle tucked herself closer to Rumplestiltskin, putting her head on his shoulder while placing one small hand on his chest, directly over his heart. It was a tender embrace, a reassuring one that promised she would never leave him. James knew there would be no talking her out of staying.

"Charming," Snow said, tucking her arm into his, "I don't think he's in the mood to help us right now."

That was obvious. At least James was certain that at the moment he wasn't up to anything devious, just currently enthralled by his lady. It was an astonishing turn of events.

"We'll talk again."

"I have no doubts," Rumplestiltskin said.

James turned away with Snow. He took the handle of the ruined door and tugged it behind him. "Sorry about the door," he called out before he closed it. No doubt, he could afford to fix it.

They couldn't help but look back once they were a few steps away from the shop. The couple inside was apparently quite happy to be alone again. There was no denying that it was love that had wrapped itself between them. It was still astounding to see the imp, the monster, the Dark One, tenderly bending down to bestow Belle a sweet kiss.

"I can't quite believe it," Snow said in a breathless voice.

James shook his head gently as he stared at that beauty and her true love. "I can."

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you_

_For a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

* * *

__A/N: Please review. I love to hear your comments. Only a few more days until the premiere! I know I can't wait.


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